Bittersweet

Soon Whisper and I will be making a very big change. I was offered a position at another local stable that works really well with our family schedule and needs, we've made the hard decision to leave Amazing Grace and join the new stable staff.

When I put in the month advance notice that Whisper and I would be moving, we found out that there was another horse looking to come in for full-board at Amazing Grace and Whisper moving within the week would work better for them re-arranging horses. 

Without their help I wouldn't have been able to keep Whisper and I am forever grateful to them for that. I was prepared to have a full month with the friends and horses I've come to care a lot about, I imagine these last few days are going to go entirely too fast and the whole family and I will be sad when it's time to load her up to move.

I'm excited for the new opportunity though and am really looking forward to finishing and arranging Whisper's new stall in the next few days. She will be in a 12 foot by 12 foot stall each night and on a 32 acre pasture turnout during the day with about 16 other horses.  Horses used there are kid-friendly lesson mounts and the entire facility is located just a few miles from one of the best horseback riding trail systems in the area. 

Here's to hoping my next post will be full of my amazement at how easily Whisper loaded on the trailer...

Fall Weekends

Saturday morning the barn was pretty empty as 4 horses were away at the Rolling Hills show. The farm's equestrian team brought home tons of ribbons from that show including a reserve and a grand champion, maybe one day Whisper and I will get a chance to join them. For now, I was all pumped up for a morning ride.

But first, as the morning chill began to wear off, I ditched a sweatshirt layer. Hmm... Auburn oversized sweatshirt in hand... little unsuspecting mini horse in the barn.... I wonder

Yep, it fits. 

All advice and common sense says that riding Whisper after she's been on turn-out instead of in the stall, should help with this early training managing her incredible energy. My life with my children doesn't allow this to happen very often until today when my hubby kept them for the morning, that gave me a pass to see how she would do coming off 12 hour pasture turn-out and took away the sun disappearing deadline we've had in the evening. 

Whisper was also pretty pumped up about this idea. In fact, she stood in the wash rack with her head jacked up, blowing like a deer doe standing her ground, at every little breeze and noise. She lost contact with the ground through her front feet more than once as I did up the girth, and during bridling I lost her all together as she ran through the barn. 

No problem, I've got lots of time, I'll just longe her, long line ground drive, all sorts of stuff I can do before I get on. I finally got her fully tacked and down to the ring. No longe lines. Shoot. I hadn't even thought about the show team needing them on site and had left mine at home. Instead I hand walked her until she stopped spooking at every little noise.

I went to mount up and some jerk (that's the G rated version of the word that comes to mind) driving by thought that was a perfect time to blast his horn. Why people think it's a good idea to honk driving by horses, I'll never ever know. 

Needless to say, when my rear hit the gear, my horse was already off and running. One full hour I rode her circling tight right each and every time she broke from a walk. It gave her a chance to work bending and reinforced that deciding not to walk was going to make it harder for her.

She began to come down, she chose to walk and earn her straight lines. Her head came down. An hour and a half into the ride, I felt everything in her relax, we could have been any horse on any trail walking relaxed in the fall sun. It was awesome! 

I was hoping the workout for the morning had prepared Whisper for that afternoon. My oldest daughter, Sage, was turning 5 and having the party at the farm. She had asked a thousand times to ride Whisper and for obvious reasons I've always said, "no". I  wanted to let her try and sit on Whisper for a lead line walk special for her birthday. Sage is pretty good at sticking on a horse and my bareback pad includes a strap to grip so I hoped the odds were slightly in my favor that it will go smoothly. 

Party was great, games went well, and Beethoven forgave me for shirting him and took part in festivities (yes, these are all my kids)

We rounded up all of the little ones, put up balloons and breezy crepe paper, to get ready for Sage and Whisper's big moment. 

Whisper was an angel. Sage weighs so little you could almost assume Whisper thought she only was wearing a saddle, but trust me, she knew. Sage was thrilled and all ended perfectly well.

On other fronts, Whisper's feed has been changed. I had her on Triple Crown Senior (she's been on free choice hay the entire time), she wasn't skinny on a high volume of that feed but she also wasn't adding the weight that I felt like she needed. We added in Rice Bran Oil to see if the pure fat would help, it did a little over 2 months, but she hated the stuff. Corn oil too. She'd eat around her feed and leave anything oily behind. The farm manager suggested a change to the 10-10 feed most of the adult age horses at the farm eat, considering that the levels of protein to fat may be more conducive to weight gain without adding a lot of heat to her. We did that with some soaked timothy cubes added in. She loved the new feed, just not the timothy, she'd eat around the soaked cubes. This week we've changed her to soaked beet pulp as the mix-in to the 10-10 grain. Maybe that will help those hips fill in just a little more and get us ready for winter. 

Speaking of winter, all of the horses are getting fuzzy. *happy sigh* they smell so good after warming in the sun and feel like big plush stuffies. On the really cool nights, we're blanketing the show horses and I'm including Whisper in that category when temps go lower than 50. I want her to get a nice winter coat, but odds are it'll be next year before her body produces a more climate acceptable coat for our area. The girls were also worried about their pony with the dropping evening temperatures...

Finally, the farm welcomed a new horse, this time a Thoroughbred. I have to say, the more I'm with them, the deeper I'm falling in love with this breed. 

Brave New Horizons

Whisper was not improving. In fact, she was worse. Hobbling again as if she could hardly bear to move her right leg. I brought water to where she stood and she happily drained a bucket in minutes. It was clear that she wasn't getting enough water because she was choosing not to walk up the hill to drink.

As she drank I looked over at Star and saw an injury that must have been ugly a few days earlier.

It wraps up and around the ear and included punctures at the poll and into her mane.

I was at a loss. I was hurt, for them. I was failing to provide the best I could for the horses I was responsible for. I was trying, my intent was there, but I was not. My husband and I talked it out and came to the decision that if we could not find suitable boarding and stable arrangements for Whisper by week's end, she would go to a home that was open to taking her and providing what I was not currently doing on this pasture.

That same day, Pirate's new owner contacted me with a shoulder injury that likely needed surgery. She would be unable to take and start Pirate the way she wanted to and had to pass on him. I had no idea what to do. I kept looking at barns, I kept calling, I kept contacting everyone I knew. Something HAD to be out there. We had always intended to adopt out Promise's foal but now I was looking to find a way to safely provide for all three.

A farm named Amazing Grace finally got in touch and worked out a situation that I could do, though they only had room for Whisper. She would have a stall of her own with turn-out on whatever schedule she needed. Triple Crown Senior feed on site. Riding rings. A small size operation with OTTB experience that would let me work for board.

I went out that evening to meet with the owner and looked at the horses. All clean, bright, and relaxed. The general feel of the whole place was a calm working feel.  Speaking with the owner she asked questions of me while I pelted her with my own. We ironed out arrangements. Whisper would be moved the very next day.

Friday I picked up the farm's trailer, along with a friend and we headed to Whisper. Whisper was still painfully lame and stumbled slowly towards the open trailer. She then proceeded to fight us for 2 full hours in 90 degree temperatures.

We tried everything. We let her get used to it. Pressure to move forward and giving her release when she did so. Grain. Treats, Walking out and back. Placing her foot up in the trailer. Blocking the sides of the trailer creating a barrier so she couldn't back up and swing around (though somehow she still managed to). When she started showing air between her front feet and the ground while yanking us off our feet out of the trailer, we added the stud chain. When that failed to produce forward motion, we took a break. Finally I got back at her head and she decided she was done fighting and simply walked right in.

My first time hauling a horse I was very glad no one got behind me, pretty sure I never got over 40 mph.

Arriving at the new farm, Whisper checked out the sights and smells. She settled right in to her new stall and she began happily munching hay. She was more comfortable already.

She was assessed that evening and I got a call from the farm owner that she felt like epsom soaks and bute would help her as would a farrier evaluation. We went over Whisper's feeding schedule and her current body condition versus where we wanted her to be. She had dropped about 50 pounds in the last week with the pain and stress she was feeling in her legs.

Today, thank goodness, the abscess ruptured and brought Whisper quite a lot of relief. She is getting along with all of the horses she has met so far.

The plan is to get her started on hoof supplement and have the farrier evaluate her after healing has taken place (he can't lift the other feet when one is bad). It may be that she is a horse who, for now at least, can not go barefoot. She may simply need the distance between her hoof sole and the ground that a light shoe could provide while months of growth occur. The hoof specialist before was unwilling to consider that as an option, that and outright was wrong about many things including founder.

Meanwhile, I had been in touch with a friend who wanted Pirate and fit all of my criteria for him. When they asked after him, they mentioned that they wanted Promise too.

I said, "No. No way. Pirate can go to you after he is weaned."

Though she could give Promise safety and a great home, I loved Promise too much. Still with Whisper at another location and the injuries piling up at Promise's current location, I wasn't doing right by her. I couldn't even get out to see her more than twice a week for visits. Promise needs a safe place, with daily attention, to retire happily. I decided I would let her go with Pirate.

It breaks my heart to say, next week Promise and Pirate leave for new horizons all their own, together.

They go with a security blanket though, they go with a promise that if they ever change hands again they come to me first. If they are ever in trouble they come to me. They also come with a vow to update often with pictures and info on their well being, including a few personal visits through the year for the kids and I to see them first hand.

God give me strength to say good-bye.